Ethandria
by Rhine
Summary: Kel is forced to betray everything she loves.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Any characters that your recognize, obviously don't belong to me because my name is not TAMORA PIERCE. So please don't sue, 'cause all I have is an untrained weiner dog and a really cool pair of bright red shoes, and I don't think they'd fit you!  
  
Author's Note: Woo! First Tamora Pierce story, here I go! I wrote it late at night, so don't mind little inconsistencies and dumb little mistakes, I was avoiding sleep because Lady Katharine is after me for holding her copy of Squire hostage.  
  
"Lady Knight," the King began, Kel standing uncomfortably in front of him, the usual scribes and heralds absent from the room and the door pulled tightly shut behind her.  
  
"Your highness," she bowed hesitantly, worried of what cause he'd had to bring her here alone.  
  
"You aware, I'm sure of the threat posed by the Ethandrians to our west," Kel nodded, pouring over maps in her years as a page, she vaguely recalled their foreign neighors. As of late, the Ethandrians had become an increasingly popular topic of conversation at court. Since the Scanrans' defeat the previous autumn, the threat of invasion had fallen to Ethandria. "To eliminate the possibility of another brutal attack, as with the Scanrans, certain knights loyal to Tortall are being called upon to serve in the most dangerous aspect of war." Keladry swallowed hard, suddenly understanding the locked door and the need for secrecy. "Lady Knight," King Jonathon began, drawing closer to her,"You are to be my spy." 


	2. Chapter 2

"Wh,wh,why me, your highness?" Kel managed, overcoming her initial hesitation to be involved in such matters,"If I may ask, of course."  
  
"The Ethandrians would not question your motivation to defect, they opened their armies to women long before Tortall, and would fully believe your betrayal of your homeland due to its prejudices."  
  
"Surely your highness, you do not truly feel I would be most like to betray my country?" Kel phrased akwardly, thinking frantically of what she could have done to have earned her King's mistrust.  
  
"My feelings in fact, are in the exact opposite direction. You, Keladry, would serve Tortall to the bitter end and never would I question your loyalty. Were I to send another knight, I would spend my nights worrying of his allegiance, whether he was not in truth, spying for the other side. I have already made such a mistake." Kel raised an eyebrow, staring at him in confusion. "A knight in my service already resides across the border, Sir Orin of Mavren. I appointed him, fulfilling a debt I owed to his father, but the appointment may prove damaging. For weeks, the information he's been feeding us has been incorrect and nearly cost good men their lives. He can no longer be trusted and a new spy must be appointed."  
  
"I will go where you command me, your highness," Kel responded obediently.  
  
"The choice is not mine alone to make. Your are being asked to, in appearances, betray your homeland. You must abandon your family and risk the disgrace that will be brought upon them by your treachery. Those you care for will be filled with revulsion and disgust at your actions." She struggled to accept the consequences soon to fall upon her. "Everyone will hate you, Keladry. Those you loved will seek your death, are your prepared?"  
  
"No one can ever be prepare for that, my Lord. But I took an oath and I will fulfill that oath, I will serve Tortall in every capacity that I am able."  
  
"Noble words Keladry. I know your emotions must be raging beneath that Yamani mask you wear," the King prompted, but Kel knew if she attempted to answer, she would lose what little control she had. "A horse is waiting in the stables, with the provisions you will need. Take nothing else, as no one must suspect your departure. Hurry to the border Keladry, for once you leave this room I can no longer guarantee your safety. Once the door closes behind you, you are a traitor, and Tortall wants you dead."  
  
Nervously she stepped towards the door and placed a quivering hand upon the knob. King Jonathon watched her silently, emotions she couldn't identify painted across her face. Slowly she pulled back the heavy wooden door and walked into the corridor, loneliness plaguing her as she hurried down the empty hall to the awaiting horse.  
  
A scarlet cloak was laid across the horses back and she donned it as she mounted the unfamiliar mare. Riding swiftly from the palace grounds, she passed a group of men returning from the city, and pulled the hood further over her face. Vaguely she heard talk of their latest exploits, and the newest tales they'd passed over the bar. She grimaced at the thought of the things they'd be saying once all Tortall knew of her betrayal. It would only reinforce the conservatives arguments, that women were fit to be knights. All the land would talk of her horrible sin, condemning her when she was merely trying to save them all. Curse the life of a spy. 


	3. Chapter 3

The Ethandrian border neared, nearly two weeks in the saddle had made her anxious to reach her destination - even if it lay within enemy territory. An Ethandrian stronghold rose up in front of her, built entirely of sandstone, reaching unimaginable heights. She realized, as she sat atop her horse, covered by the woods, that she had no idea how to approach the castle. It wasn't as if she had any experience in treachery. She didn't have long to contemplate her options of approach before a rustle in the leaves behind her demanded her attention. From all sides, noise encroached, filling the silent woods. She swiveled in her saddle, attempting to catch sight of whatever was approaching. A swift knock to the back of her head sent her tumbling out of the saddle to unconsciousness awaiting her on the forest floor.  
  
Awakened by the throbbing pain flaring in her head, she rolled over on the cold, stone floor, grimacing at the soreness in her joints. She lay miserably on her back contemplating the situation she was in. Thoughts of home made her eyes sting. Thoughts of Owen and Roald, Raoul and Neal, thoughts of Cleon. She pounded her fists on the floor and slipped back into unconsciousness when the pain became to much to take. Grabbed back the back of her tunic, she was lifted off the floor and shaken harshly before being thrown roughly against the wall. Fourteen archers welcomed her back to the world of the living, filling the small round room to which she was confined, arrows aimed directly at her head. A young man, tall and well built, waved them down with a flick of his hand.  
  
"Quite presumptuous are we, to merely ride into an enemy stronghold, being as you are a lone horseman. Or should I say horsewoman," he spoke as he approached her, the tip of his dagger resting against her chest. "My, my, if it isn't Tortall's little lady knight."  
  
"Tortall's no longer," Kel said sternly, staring straight ahead as he circled her questioningly.  
  
"Aye, then you and I have something in common," he smirked, extending his hand to help her up. Once on firmly standing, she could see that he was indeed tall, looking down at her from a few inches above.  
  
"Sir Orin of Mavren, then," she concluded and he bowed almost mockingly, a sick smile on his face.  
  
"So you're not a little vixen spy, atleast not for Tortall, I suppose you wanted to join the Ethandrian side of the action. Did you tire of the games of peace King Jonathon tries to play? Crave the need for battle, for revenge upon the men that kept you down those years? What was it Lady Keladry that drove you to us?"  
  
"I spent two years protecting Tortall from Scanran invasions. The thought of playing the defensive amongst an army of chauvanistic pigs failed to satisfy me."  
  
"A wise decision," laughed the encircling Sir Orin as he continued to pace,"But you see dear little, Kel is it?" She nodded. "You see how we can't merely embrace you into our merry little group, surely you see that you must prove yourself."  
  
Kel cursed under her breath, the thought of initiation had not crossed her mind, and apparently the thought had not come to Jonathon either for he had made no mention of it.  
  
"Don't fret, Kel," he said, drawing a finger along her chin as she stood still as stone,"Nothing horribly awful, nothing violent or murderous." He spun quickly on his heels and stabbed an archer abruptly, letting the man fall to his knees. "But you will have to prove yourself here sooner or later, or you'll never get any respect." With that he gave the downed man a vicious kick, and turned, motioning for her to follow him into the depths of the castle as the remaining archers parted to allow his exit. 


	4. Chapter 4

In the throne room, Sir Orin presented her to the reigning Ethandrian monarch. The king looked her roughly up and down, her appearance bruised and disheveled.  
  
"You feel she would be of use to us?" the king question Orin, clearly trusting him to make the decision. Orin nodded.  
  
"If not in battle and strategy, she may atleast prove...entertaining elsewhere," Sir Orin smirked and shared a private laugh with the king as Kel stood stiffly, panic rising in her.  
  
"Very well," the king accepted, still chuckling,"Get her cleaned up and see what you can get from her." Turning to Kel, he addressed her directly,"You've made a wise choice, Ethandria can meet your need for power better than Tortall, cooperate and you may rise as quickly through the ranks as young Orin." Kel nodded obediently and followed Orin from the throne room under the king's intent look.  
  
Bathed and dressed in a fresh tunic, Kel sat glumly in her chamber. She thought to inquire the day of Orin as she realized she had no idea of the amount of time that had passed. King Jonathon had said her contact to Tortall would identify himself and it was to him she was to pass the information. Eyeing herself in a mirror, she touched the bruise on the back of her head tenderly and winced. Her ribs ached as well, no doubt from one of Orin's kicks or perhaps from her brief bout with the wall. Feeling them gently, she tried to assess whether or not anything had been broken when Orin walked into the room. He guessed what she was doing and approached her, laying his hands on her ribs. "Perhaps you're in need of assistance in wrapping them?" he smirked. She pushed his hands away and glared angrily.  
  
"No thank you," she seethed.  
  
"Even lady knights must get lonely," he brought his face close to hers when he spoke. She pushed him away again roughly and crossed the room. With an irritating smile, he bowed mockingly and let himself from the room. "Sweet dreams, Keladry."  
  
Later that night, she lay in the unfamiliar bed, cursing herself for ever excepting this mission, or even becoming a knight in the first place. She sat up upbruptly at the noise outside the window. It swung open and someone dropped into her room as she sprang from the bed and grabbed the dagger at her bedside.  
  
"Calm, calm," spoke the figure, gently reaching out to take the dagger from her - she recognized the voice. "And they say you're nothing like Alanna, tsk, tsk, both of you - so prone to violence."  
  
"George!" Kel exclaimed as quietly as she could manage, embracing him.  
  
"Ssh, ssh," he warned her, setting her back squarely on her feet,"Though I won't complain 'bout gettin' such a warm welcome, its a much warmer welcome than I usually got from Sir Orin."  
  
"He can't be trusted!" Kel burst out in a frantic whisper.  
  
"Hush, hush, we already figured that, which is why you're here," George quieted her,"Every fifth night I'm to come here and relay what you've learned back to the king, so remember that - every fifth night." Kel nodded. "And keep it quick and precise 'cause I can only spend so much time here before I run the risk of bein' found." Kel nodded again, this was strictly business, and no matter how much she missed Tortall, she had to follow exact instructions if she wanted to see home again. "Thats a good lass," George ruffled her hair and began to climb back out the window again.  
  
"Wait, George," Kel caught his leg,"Wh, wh, what's happening back in Tortall?"  
  
"It's better Kel, that I don't answer that question," George let out a long deep sigh and looked at her with pity,"No one said this was going to be easy." 


	5. Chapter 5

The following days and weeks played out in a pattern. Sir Orin's advances continued, and her disgust for the truly treacherous knight grew. The king of Ethandria was an easily manipulated fool, as Kel quickly learned, and it became clear that it was in fact Sir Orin leading the offensive on Tortall. The two men excluded her from all talk of war, but what small pieces of strategy and battle tactics she could catch were quickly relayed back to George on his weekly visits. Frustrated with her inability to break into Orin and the king's inner circle, she spent her days brooding in a chair in the throne room attempting to look casual while she eavesdropped on the conversations happening beyond the wall. The king one day came storming out of his chambers.  
  
"You're of no use to me Orin, if you don't know the land!" the king proclaimed.  
  
"But your highness, I have not been to Tortall in two years, you cannot expect me to know it's current state!"  
  
"We need recent information, Orin, your outdated knowledge does me no good! I need someone who knows exact details, numbers of troops, positions of camps, recent things Orin! I need someone recent!" Their conversation dropped off as both men turned slowly to look at Kel, sitting nonchalantly in her chair, pretending to be enthralled with the book in front of her.  
  
"You served under Lord Raoul, did you not?" the king said smoothly, sitting himself in the seat beside her.  
  
"Captain of the third legion of the King's Own?" continued Orin.  
  
"You patrolled the borders?"  
  
"Positioned troops?"  
  
"Assessed the battle opportunities?" Kel nodded, giving them a disinterested look.  
  
"I know everything you could possibly want to know," she said,"And I've been sitting here for nearly a month, but you never thought to ask me. It's a pity Sir Orin, I'd've thought you'd've been smarter than that." Kel rose from her seat and crossed the throne room to a map on the wall. Pointing to three different locations on Tortall's western border she explained the movements of the troops and the positions they'd be stationed at while the king sat in his chair, giving Orin dirty looks as he listened to the information Kel rattled off.  
  
That night, Kel explained the days occurances to George as he dropped through into her room. "You didn't really tell them anything did you?" he asked, concerned.  
  
"Of course not," Kel assured him,"From the way I explained it to them, they'll be marching their armies straight through a swamp, getting cut off at a river, and stuck in the mountains."  
  
"A brilliant little lass you are, just brilliant," he patted her on the back and disappeared again out her window. 


	6. Chapter 6

The King, believing every word that sprang from Kel's mouth, allowed her to attend the discussions of war and readjusted his tactics to the strategy she provided him with. If Orin caught on to the false information she was feeding them, he didn't say a word, and proceeded with his usual rude advances.  
  
"It's my birthday in a month," the King announced at one of the discussions,"And can anyone guess what I want for my birthday?" The advisors, Kel and Orin included, stayed silent.  
  
"I want victory, I want war, I want Tortall!" Kel froze, a date had been set, no doubt King Jonathon knew they were planning on attacking, but so soon? If the Ethandrian armies were determined enough, not even the false directions she'd laid out for them could stop them. The only way to prevent such a massive war as with the Scanrans was to stop it before it started. Kel had to get Tortall to invade first, to seige the castle and crush the invasion while it was weak. George had just come the previous night, Kel thought in a panic, five nights before he'd come again. Orin was giving her a strange look until she realized that she was gripping the arms of the chair so hard her knuckles were turning white. Letting out a deep breath, she let her Yamani training take over. Calm, calm, she told herself, you can't let them suspect.  
  
The week passed without incident, only further planning of the invasion. Orin had ceased his advances but watched her intently and pecularily as if he had his suspiscions. On the fifth knight, Kel paced her room, waiting impatiently, George was late. Her door swung open instead of her window and Sir Orin stormed in, and threw her down.  
  
"You're up to something you little witch," he glared,"Don't tell me you're Jonathon's little spy? Is that what you are? Surely not, he wouldn't send someone as incompetent as you." He picked her up by the front of her tunic and tossed her against the wall as he had done at their first meeting. "Don't screw things up Keladry, I'm the King's right hand man, I lead him, I guide him, he's nothing without me and I don't need some little girl with noble notions of loyalty screwing things up! So stay out of my way!" She kicked him blindly, as hard as she could, landing her blow at his stomach. He stumbled backward for a moment but recovered and hit her hard across the face before pulling her to him. "I never understood why they let little girls be knights, girls are only good for one thing." He ran his hand along her tunic but at the sound of someone in the hall, dropped the cloth and stalked from the room.  
  
Terrified and angry, she lay crumpled on the floor against the cool stone and tried to regain her breath. As the door closed behind Orin, the window opened and another figure entered the room. Running to her, the figure brought her into his arms and held her tightly. Stunned at the contact, she looked up to see green eyes staring back down at her. "Neal," she whispered, before burying her head in his chest as his arms held her tightly.  
  
"God Kel, it was awful," Neal began,"I was out there on that window sill having to just hang there and watch him do this to you." He ran a hand across the red mark Orin had left.  
  
"You don't hate me then?" Kel looked up, unable to hold back the tears any longer.  
  
"Jonathon told me everything, of course I don't hate you, you're braver than the rest of us."  
  
"Why are you here?" she asked quietly, still amazed at the feeling of having someone there to hold her, a feeling she hadn't felt in so long.  
  
"George was wounded, some sharp-shooting scout hit him in the side with an arrow. Jonathon sent me instead." Kel didn't respond, she just held tighter and let the tears flow that she hadn't allowed herself in the previous month. 


End file.
